Military News

Monday, April 07, 2014

4/7/2014 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Sixteen
aircraft from the 403rd Wing took to the skies over the Mississippi
Gulf Coast region April 5 in Operation Surge Capacity, a large-ship
formation training exercise.

The exercise was designed to test multiple capabilities of the wing,
such as coordination between various squadrons, the Federal Aviation
Administration, Stennis International Airport, and active-duty and
Reserve components here in supporting the mission. It also tested the
abilities of 815th and 345th Airlift Squadron aircrews to plan and fly
in a large formation, and to execute airdrops at two separate locations:
Keesler AFB and Stennis.

The operation included C-130J aircraft from the reserve 815th and
active-associate 345th AS, and WC-130J aircraft from the 53rd Weather
Reconnaissance Squadron, all of which fall under the command of the
403rd Wing.

The exercise was a huge undertaking, and a first of this size for the
403rd, said Maj. William Miller, 815th AS chief of tactics and the
mission commander for the operation. Never in the history of the wing
had a 16-ship operation been launched and recovered.

Miller highlighted the advantages of performing an operation of this magnitude.

"The benefit of doing a large formation of this nature is twofold. One,
you get all of the maintainers involved to do what they need to do to
get all of these planes generated and ready to fly. And two, it provides
experience for all of our aircrews to project combat power in a large
formation, which is in the Army's doctrine for us (the Air Force) to be
able to produce and execute," said Miller.

The planes airdropped 15-pound sandbags, which were used to simulate
equipment, over the runway at Keesler AFB, and then performed a
simulated airdrop of paratroopers over the runway at Stennis
International Airport in Long Beach, Miss. The U.S. Army 7th Special
Forces Group from, Duke Field, Fla., was originally supposed to
participate in the paratrooper airdrop but had to cancel due to the
forecasted inclement weather.

First Lieutenant Jonathan Recor, 345th AS tactics officer and mission
planning cell chief for the operation, praised the efforts of all those
involved in getting the operation off the ground, especially the 403rd
Maintenance Group.

"Maintenance - first off - was awesome. The fact that we were able to
generate 16 out of 16 airplanes, to launch 100 percent of our available
aircraft, is not only unheard of, but amazing. To have them all take off
on time, with no issues, is a testament to what our people can do,"
said Recor.

According to Col. Frank Amodeo, 403rd Wing commander, the operation was a resounding success.

"I don't think it could have gone any better. What we were able to do
today was not only a 403rd Wing effort, but a total Keesler base
effort," said Amodeo, highlighting the coordination between the
active-duty 81st Training Wing and 403rd Wing here. "We were able to
build camaraderie, and we showed that we could execute our mission and
provide operational capability, strategic depth and surge capacity."

The commander commended the wing on its efforts in executing the underlying goal of the operation.

"To me, what 'surge capacity' means is this: 'Can we surge when needed
to meet the warfighter's demands?', and we demonstrated that we were
able to do that today."

ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- Navy engineers are making final
adjustments to a laser weapon prototype that will be the first of its kind to
deploy aboard a ship late this summer.

The prototype, an improved version of the Laser Weapon
System (LaWS), will be installed on USS Ponce for at-sea testing in the Persian
Gulf, fulfilling plans announced by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan
Greenert at the 2013 Sea-Air-Space Expo.

"This is a revolutionary capability," said Chief
of Naval Research Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder. "It's absolutely critical
that we get this out to sea with our Sailors for these trials, because this
very affordable technology is going to change the way we fight and save
lives."

Navy leaders have made directed-energy weapons a top
priority to counter what they call asymmetric threats, including unmanned and
light aircraft and small attack boats that could be used to deny U.S. forces
access to certain areas. High-energy lasers offer an affordable and safe way to
target these threats at the speed of light with extreme precision and an
unlimited magazine, experts say.

"Our nation's adversaries are pursuing a variety of
ways to try and restrict our freedom to operate," Klunder said.
"Spending about $1 per shot of a directed-energy source that never runs
out gives us an alternative to firing costly munitions at inexpensive
threats."

Klunder leads the Office of Naval Research (ONR), which has
worked with the Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Research Laboratory, Naval
Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division and others to make powerful
directed-energy weapons a reality.

The Navy already has demonstrated the effectiveness of
lasers in a variety of maritime settings. In a 2011 demonstration, a laser was
used to defeat multiple small boat threats from a destroyer. In 2012, LaWS
downed several unmanned aircraft in tests.

Over the past several months, working under the ONR Quick
Reaction Capability program, a team of Navy engineers and scientists have
upgraded LaWS, and proved that targets tracked with a Phalanx Close-In Weapon
can be easily handed over to the laser's targeting and tracking system. The
result is a weapon system with a single laser weapon control console, manned by
a surface warfare weapons officer aboard USS Ponce who can operate all functions
of the laser-and if commanded, fire the laser weapon.

Using a video game-like controller, that sailor will be able
to manage the laser's power to accomplish a range of effects against a threat,
from disabling to complete destruction.

The deployment on Ponce will prove crucial as the Navy
continues its push to provide laser weapons to the fleet at large.

Data regarding accuracy, lethality and other factors from
the Ponce deployment will guide the development of even more capable weapons
under ONR's Solid-State Laser - Technology Maturation program. Under this
program, industry teams led by Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and Raytheon Corp.
have been selected to develop cost-effective, combat-ready laser prototypes
that could be installed on vessels such as guided-missile destroyers and the
Littoral Combat Ship in 2016.

The Navy will decide next year which, if any, of the three
industry prototypes are suitable to move forward and begin initial ship
installation for further testing.

"We are in the midst of a pivotal transition with a
technology that will keep our Sailors and Marines safe and well-defended for
years to come," said Peter Morrison, ONR program manager for SSL-TM.
"We believe the deployment on Ponce and SSL-TM will pave the way for a
future acquisition program of record so we can provide this capability across
the fleet."

4/7/2014 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The
Air Mobility Command Inspector General team recently closed out the
618th Air and Space Operation Center's (Tanker Airlift Control Center)
first Unit Effectiveness Inspection cycle with a Major Command Capstone
event, marking the first air operations center inspected under the new
system.

The leader of Air Mobility Command's Air and Space Operations Center
praised the Air Force's new inspection system because it places review
authority in the hands of commanders.

Maj. Gen. Timothy M. Zadalis, commander of the TACC at Scott Air Force
Base, Il, said the inspection system empowers wing commanders to
establish and lead continuous self-inspections, alleviating the constant
cycle of preparing for multiple inspections throughout the year.

"As a commander, I appreciate having authority over my inspection
program, and that we're now inspected on the work we do here daily so
our people can focus on taking care of the mission," Zadalis said.

The timing of the unit's UEI didn't happen by chance. The AMC IG staff
purposely planned the fiscal year 2014 inspection calendar with the
intent to sample the full range of AMC mission sets, according to Col.
Christopher Sullivan, AMC IG team chief for the AOC inspection.

"AMC is a complex organization and the AOC is a testament to that. We're
more than a series of stand-alone bases, with a single mission"
Sullivan said. "AMC is integrated in joint basing and within the Total
Force. This serves as a force multiplier but also comes with complex
relationships. We have to move out and work through challenges to
implement and improve what we believe is a better inspection system."

Sullivan explained that the Capstone isn't the first AMC IG inspection
working with the AOC; they partnered on a separate nuclear inspection
earlier this year and he said both teams learned, grew and became more
capable after the inspection.

"The new system is in many respects a partnership between the unit and
the IG, all with the goal of making the 618th AOC a more effective
organization," said Zadalis, who is impressed by his wing inspection
team's progress and the work they accomplished throughout the unit. "Any
change comes with some level of discomfort and this was no different,
but it's change for the better and worth the front-end effort," the
general said.

AMC IG began planning nearly a year ago on an implementation plan for
the revised AFIS. Throughout the scheduled inspections, inspection team
members speak with Airmen at each unit to gain valuable insight on
what's right with it, what's wrong with it, and what needs to be
improved or reconsidered, Sullivan said. Their feedback informs the AMC
commander about unit effectiveness, and is ultimately sent to the
Secretary of the Air Force Inspector General.

4/5/2014 - YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel addressed 200 service members at a troop call
here Saturday at 1 p.m. to thank joint and bilateral forces for their
service and emphasize the growing importance of the Asia-Pacific region.

Secretary Hagel discussed the on-going efforts to continue to support bilateral military relationships.

"We think that the force posture we have, our defense structure and our
capabilities and our readiness and our capacity still is more than
sufficient to fulfill the missions and the objectives that we have to
protect the United States, stay committed to our allies around the world
and protect America's interests around the world," Hagel said.

Following his remarks, Hagel presented 200 coins to service members and
Japanese Air Self Defense Force members in recognition for their
service.

"It takes steady, wise, firm leadership and commitment, as you all are
demonstrating by your service here, and our long partnership and
friendship with Japan and the Japanese people," Hagel said.

Hagel plans to speak with Prime Minister Abe and other Japanese Defense
officials before he leaves to make his first visit as defense secretary
to China.

4/4/2014 - LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Hope can come in many forms, but for veterans in need, hope can be a simple business suit and a tie.

The 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, supported by the 56th Fighter
Wing Chapel, held a clothing drive for the U.S. Veterans Initiative
nonprofit organization in Phoenix that offers aid to veterans who are
either homeless, at risk of being homeless or unemployed.

"This is my fourth time donating, and it's nice to see the center has
actually developed quite a bit from the first time I was there," said
Master Sgt.Douglas McGraw, 56th EMS programs flight chief. "I get a
hopeful feeling for the veterans and for the U.S. VETS center itself.
They are doing things right and getting results, which are what we all
want."

Approximately 530 articles of clothing were donated to the organization.
The donations included standard clothing items such as jeans and
shirts, but a large portion was business attire for men and women.

"It just warmed my heart," said Master Sgt. Victor Mercado, 56th EMS
product superintendent, "knowing the caring people on base who donated
belongings they no longer use will go to good use to help these veterans
get on their feet and hopefully land them a job and get their lives
back in order."

The goal of U.S. VETS is to successfully transition veterans and their
families to a civilian life with the support of counselors, housing
opportunities and career development.

The Phoenix location began its services to veterans in October 2001. One
of two locations in Arizona, it serves an estimated 175 to 200 veterans
each day providing counseling, food and low-cost short or long-term
supportive housing provided by Cloudbreak Communities. A computer room
is available to aid with job searches and donated clothes provide a
professional look that may help these veterans obtain a job.

"For me, the biggest thing was learning more about the organization,"
said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Ted Wilson, 56th FW Chapel. "It's more than
just donating clothes. It's what this organization does and how they go
about helping the veterans in the community. This particular
organization, it's not just a free hand-out. There is accountability -
things these men and women have to do. They have to pay some sort of
rent; they have to pay some for food as well, so it's not an absolute
free hand-out here."

According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, there are an
estimated 57,849 homeless veterans on any given night. These homeless
men and women have served in World War II and operations in Korea,
Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Southwest Asia, Grenada, Panama and Lebanon,
and in military counter-drug efforts in South America.

These men and women may have served alongside many current active-duty,
Reserve or Guard members. They are part of the one percent who raised
their hand to help defend this country.

(The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the
56th Fighter Wing, the United States Air Force, or the Department of
Defense of the external Web site, or the information, products, or
services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as
military exchanges and Services/Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR)
sites, the United States Air Force does not exercise any editorial
control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links
are provided consistent with the stated purpose of the Web site.)

4/7/2014 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Air
Force Global Strike Command's Force Improvement Program team wrapped up
their visits to the command's missile wings last month, where they were
tasked with identifying challenges associated with performing missile
duties and working with Airmen to propose solutions.

"We are using this ... as an opportunity to make significant and
important improvements across the enterprise," Wilson said. "The Force
Improvement Program's purpose is to create an aggressive,
action-oriented, field-influenced program with the goal of making
substantial and lasting changes to the ICBM mission."

During their visits, the teams conducted 1,800 field surveys, leadership
surveys and family surveys, and personally interviewed 835 Airmen
across the three ICBM bases.

"AFGSC and their analysis team of scientists, along with behavioral
experts and an outside team from the Navy and Executive Leadership
Group, created a question list that best dug at the issues of morale,
leadership, workplace environment and job satisfaction," said Col.
Michael Tichenor, AFGSC Task Force 204 director and FIP team leader.

By using a combination of expert teams assembled from the ICBM bases,
the diverse 69-person functional cultural working group was comprised of
operations, maintenance, security forces, mission support group and
helicopter operations members, as well as peers from outside the ICBM
community, including U.S. Navy submariners and AFGSC bomber bases.

"We felt that bringing in peers from both in and outside of the missile
community would bring a fresh perspective," Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein,
20th Air Force Commander, said. "We wanted every Airman's voice to be
heard. The teams didn't just focus on the missile operators, but
interviewed people from all spectrums of the missile community to ensure
they had input in this process."

"I've been here at Malmstrom for seven years and I've never seen
something like this before," Smith said. "I think it's been great to
have one-on-one interview sessions, because this gives Airmen a chance
to speak up when they otherwise wouldn't."

"I think this is really different than anything the Air Force has done
before," said Capt. Daniel Bradfield, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.,
5th Civil Engineer Squadron readiness and emergency management flight
commander and FIP mission support function team lead. "There have been
tons of studies and surveys and things that have been done to look at
the nuclear enterprise all across the board, but what hasn't ever really
been done is provide unfiltered feedback from troops on the ground -
from NCOs, senior NCOs and young officers - about what some of their
concerns are and some of the actions that maybe we should be taking.

"We interviewed our peers and took what we gathered straight to General
Wilson," he added. "There's no filter; there's no in-between step. We
briefed him directly on our findings."

After completing their round-robin bases visits, the FIP team met at
F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., to assess the stacks of findings and
recommendations from the field. Their deliverable: a list of field
generated concerns and possible fixes across all five of the teams'
functional areas. Each of the peer-led teams briefed their findings and
recommendations to Wilson and Weinstein on March 3. The two commanders
then spent the next weekend personally reviewing each of the near 350
recommendations and making decisions on which field recommendations to
implement.

When asked about the decision to personally review and discuss each and
every recommendation, Wilson said, "These field recommendations were
thoughtful, direct, and on-target; General Weinstein and I took each of
them seriously."

When asked how many of the Airmen's ideas got approved, Weinstein said,
of the near 350 recommendations, "you can literally count on two hands
how many we said 'no' to; not surprising, our Airmen's observations and
recommendations just made sense."

Many of the major recommendations and observations were presented to the
Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, who
in-turn provided feedback on the FIP recommendations to the Secretary
of Defense.

New FIP offices in 20th Air Force and at the AFGSC headquarters are busy
cataloguing the many commanders' decisions stemming from the FIP
recommendations and assigning the right people to work the issues.

"We set up a team of full-time headquarters staff to assign, track, and
move out on these ideas and decisions," Maj. Gen. Rob Rego, AFGSC vice
commander, said. "The NAF and MAJCOM commanders are demanding the team
move quickly on as much as we can."

And movement is happening, Rego said.

"We've already seen Headquarters Air Force action on some of our
Airmen's recommendations to include a $19 million commitment for money
this year to deliver on some of our Airmen's most pressing needs
identified during the FIP, to include security forces equipment, LCC
maintenance, and missile maintenance parts and equipment, and much
more," he said.

Furthermore, Weinstein has signed out several policy directives capturing many of the recommendations asked for by his Airmen.

One of the next big steps for FIP implementation is the stand-up of
seven Tiger Teams that will be hitting the bases April 7. These teams'
charters are to figure out how to implement some of the biggest FIP
recommendations.

These Tiger Teams will construct implementation plans in seven key areas
based on the decisions arising from the FIP. These areas are helicopter
reorganization, ICBM maintenance, nuclear duty incentives, creating a
Security Forces "model defender," ICBM training and evaluation, ICBM
alternative crew tours and Personnel Reliability Program overhaul. The
Tiger Teams will travel to all the missile wing bases over the next two
weeks and will present their plans to the senior working group in late
April.

"It is critical to understand that these ideas will not go away," Wilson
said. "I am committed to seeing them through and making real change."

Wilson added that AFGSC leadership at every level will provide feedback
to the field on their recommendations, and regular updates will be
provided on force improvement program progress.

"We're ready to act," Wilson said, "and the Force Improvement Program is
an opportunity to foster positive change at the units, at the Wings and
in Air Force Global Strike Command."

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2014 – The Defense Department’s fiscal
year 2015 budget request recognizes that the U.S. military must meet homeland
and global objectives with a pared-down force, acting Deputy Defense Secretary
Christine H. Fox said today at the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pa.

“The budget is based on strategic imperatives and recognizes
a time of continued transition and uncertainty for the U.S. military in terms
of its roles, missions and the available resources,” Fox said. “The last decade
has been dominated by protracted land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, … but now
our focus has to move to preparing to counter a variety of security threats and
embracing opportunities on all points of the compass.”

The decision to maintain the U.S. technological edge at the
expense of size was based not only on stark lessons of history, Fox said, but
also on rigorous analysis.

“Past major drawdowns -- World War II, Korea, Vietnam and
the Cold War -- all kept more force structure in the military than could be
adequately trained, maintained and equipped given the defense budgets at that
time,” she said. This, she explained, forced the U.S. military at those times
in history to disproportionately cut into accounts that fund readiness and
modernization, which created a hollow force.

To determine the size of the forces needed, Fox said,
officials used two critically important inputs: existing operational plans and
the global force management allocation plan that provided an estimate of
steady-state requirements for U.S. forces to support the day-to-day needs of
combatant commanders.

“This analysis showed that for the active Army, a force size
of 440,000 to 450,000 was adequate to meet these demands when accompanied by a
reserve force of 195,000 and a [National] Guard of 335,000.”

Together, Fox added, this force of 980,000 soldiers would
meet the priorities specified in the strategy as laid out in the Quadrennial
Defense Review, which ultimately means that after years of growing the Army,
the time has come to shrink it.

“[The current] Army has born the burden of battle in Iraq
and Afghanistan, and it’s a bitter pill to be rewarded in this way,” Fox said.
“We have no choice but to get smaller for all of the services.”

Still, Fox noted, the opportunities for the future U.S.
forces will be endless. “There are tremendous opportunities for Army to
contribute in securing the gains in Afghanistan, keeping the peace in Korea,
engaging in Africa, or delivering humanitarian relief to countless nations,”
she said.

The specific tenets of the president’s strategic defense
guidance weighed heavily in DOD budget request choices, Fox explained, include
shifting operational focus and forces to the Asia-Pacific region while
sustaining commitments to key allies in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Fox also underscored the concurrent need to be able to
defeat a major adversary in one part of the world while denying victory to an
opportunistic adversary elsewhere and reducing the force planning requirement
to conduct large, prolonged counterinsurgency and stability operations.

“The world has gotten no less dangerous, no less turbulent
or in need of American leadership,” Fox said. “And unlike previous drawdowns,
there is no obvious peace dividend as there has been in the past, such as at
the end of the Cold War.”

At the same time, Fox said, there is a strong possibility in
fiscal year 2016 that national defense resources may not reach the levels
envisioned to fully support the president’s strategy.

While Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had no choice but to
prepare for the current austere budget environment, Fox said, the president’s
fiscal 2015 budget request provides $115 billion more over the next five years
than sequester-level funding. Meanwhile, current law requires sequester-level
spending cuts to resume in fiscal 2016.

“This budget plan and the associated proposals provide a
sustainable path toward shaping a balanced force, a force able to protect the
nation and fulfill the president’s defense strategy, albeit it with some
additional risk,” Fox said. “Attempting to retain a larger force in the face of
potential sequester-level cuts would create a decade-long readiness and
modernization holiday on top of the program cancellations and delays that we’ve
already had to make.”

Going forward, Fox said, DOD must figure out a way to
institutionalize the lessons from the past 13 years knowing that the desire of
the nation is to move away from these wars.

“The Army cannot turn into a large garrison force waiting for
the next land war,” Fox said. “There is just too much to do in the world, and
we need clever ideas on how to be everywhere, do everything with fewer forces
across the entire joint force.”

The challenge persists to regrow and reshape the Army into
the future, Fox said.

“We must determine what we need to retain in the smaller
force to allow you to get to a larger force quickly if necessary when needed in
the future,” she added.

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2014 – The Navy and Marine Corps need
to think about how to be more innovative, including leveraging experiences
learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in the face of budget challenges
that could become more acute, acting Deputy Defense Secretary Christine H. Fox
said today.

“Whether sequestration returns or not, the reality is we’re
counting more than ever on your leadership and innovation to solve problems and
meet new and often unfamiliar challenges to our nation’s security,” Fox told
students at the U.S Naval War College in Newport, R.I., in one of a series of
addresses she has delivered in recent days at war colleges around the nation.

In each, Fox’s theme has reflected warnings senior defense
officials have been making since last year’s budget sequester and the
likelihood of further spending cuts to come: that the Pentagon is going to have
to re-examine priorities, reduce overhead and shrink the force while finding
ways to continue vigilance in what officials describe as an increasingly
unpredictable global environment.

“Our Marines have excelled at everything we’ve asked of them
in the [counterinsurgency] fight, … and they continue to do so in Afghanistan
today,” Fox said. “So even as we make this transition, we need to capture as
much of these hard-won experiences as possible, because we’ll undoubtedly need
it again in the future.”

Fox also challenged the students to rediscover their
service’s core capabilities, “even as you build from the lessons of the
immediate past to take on new missions.”

“There are now many young, battle-hardened Marines who have
spent little time inside of a ship, much less practicing to conduct an assault
from sea,” she said. “As you regain your sea legs, I also hope you will work to
innovatively update your amphibious concepts of operations.”

Regarding the Navy, Fox said, “we need to confront the
reality that there’s more demand for ships than budgets allow, and I don’t see
this changing any time soon,” emphasizing that no one is expecting the end of
the Iraq war and the winding down of the conflict in Afghanistan to yield a
peace dividend.

“Our naval forces need to think creatively about how to
provide presence, getting more out of the ships we currently have,” she said.
Fox challenged the audience to determine whether to change deployment concepts
and keep ships deployed longer. “There must be some innovating approaches out
there that people like you, our future leaders, can find and adapt,” she added.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is in the Asia-Pacific region,
and just announced the addition of two ballistic missile defense ships to
Japan, Fox noted. “What other opportunities like that are out there that would
help us meet the needs of our strategy?” she asked the students.

Ultimately, Fox said, it’s not about numbers but
capabilities.

“We need to make the financial and intellectual investments
in technology and modernization programs now,” she said, “before we no longer
have the massive technological advantages we’ve enjoyed over the past 60
years.”

QINGDAO, China, April 7, 2014 – On Defense Secretary Chuck
Hagel’s first official visit to China, the Peoples’ Liberation Army allowed
him, in response to a request made in January, to become the first foreign
visitor to tour the sleek refitted Russian aircraft carrier -- the PLA’s first
-- called Liaoning.

China is Hagel’s third stop after multiday meetings in
Hawaii and Japan on his fourth trip to the Asia-Pacific region since becoming
defense secretary. After a day of meetings here tomorrow, Hagel will stop in
Mongolia to meet with government and military leaders there before starting
home April 10.

Liaoning is moored at Yuchi Naval Base in its home port of
Qingdao in east China’s Shandong province.

"The secretary was very pleased with his visit today
aboard the carrier Liaoning,” Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John
Kirby said in a statement.

Hagel understood the significance of the PLA’s granting of
his request for the tour, Kirby added, and the secretary was impressed by the
professionalism of the ship’s officers and crew.

“He hopes today's visit is a harbinger of other
opportunities to improve our military-to-military dialogue and transparency,”
the press secretary said.

A defense official traveling with the secretary described
the ship’s tour as lasting about two hours, beginning with a briefing about the
ship, its capabilities and operating schedule conducted by the two-star strike
carrier group commander and the ship’s commanding officer, Capt. Zhang Zheng.

The briefers were good, and they invited and encouraged
questions, the official said. Hagel and his guest, U.S. Ambassador to China Max
Baucus, and others on the tour all asked questions, the official added.

“The briefing lasted about 30 minutes, and then we saw
medical facilities on the ship, some of the living quarters, the flight control
station where they control flight operations, the pilot house, and the bridge,
where they drive the ship,” the defense official said.

The secretary and his group also took a walking tour of the
flight deck and saw launch stations and helicopter recovery stations as well
arresting cables, “and got a briefing on how what we call in the U.S. Navy the
‘landing signals officers’ guide the aircraft in for an arrested landing on the
flight deck,” the official explained.

He said the ship was extraordinarily clean, and the crew was
sharp and informative.

”Every sailor at every station where Hagel [stopped] for the
tour knew exactly what their job was, and how important their job was, and
exactly how to explain it to the secretary,” the official said.

Hagel had a lot of give-and-take discussions with the crew
throughout the tour, and talked to them just as he talks to U.S. troops when he
goes out to visit them, the defense official added.

“The tour ended with a stop in the officers’ dining area,
where Hagel had a chance to sit down with junior officers, have some
refreshments and just talk to them,” the official said. “We all did. I sat down
at a table with two junior female officers, and everybody did the same thing.”

The crew members were very impressive and very dedicated, he
observed.

“It's a new capability they're trying to develop, and I
think they all appreciate the importance of it to the PLA, but also the
difficulty of it,” the official said. “On more than one occasion, the officers
who were with us said quite frankly they know they have a long way to go in
naval aviation. It is a difficult military capability to develop and to
perfect, … and they expressed that they believe they can still learn much from
us in terms of how to get better at it.”

The ship has three launching stations for jet aircraft, four
arresting wires, a complement of about 1,500 sailors, one sixth of whom are
officers, and there were 90 women in the crew, both officers and enlisted
service members, the defense official said.

Liaoning has been out on sea trials almost 20 times, and
officials know they still have to do more, he added.

Compared with U.S. aircraft carriers, Laioning isn’t as big
or fast, and it doesn’t carry as many aircraft or as many types of aircraft,
the official said, but it’s a real aircraft carrier, capable of launching and
recovering jet combat aircraft.

“We asked them when they would have an operational naval air
wing on the ship, and the captain said there's no timeline for that right now,”
the official said. “They aren't at the state where they're declaring that sort
of operational readiness.”

The defense official said the opportunity for Hagel and his
group to tour the aircraft carrier today was a significant step in China’s
attempts to be transparent and open.

“I would say that as this trip to Beijing begins for the
secretary, today was a good first step in terms of trying to develop more
openness and transparency,” the defense official said.